Question 1

What does 都 (dōu) add to the sentence?

Accepted Answer

It means “all,” emphasizing that every member of the group in 我们 likes it. Without 都, it’s a plain statement “we like,” but with 都 it stresses “we all (each of us) like.”

Question 2

Where should 都 go in the sentence?

Accepted Answer

Put 都 right after the subject it quantifies and before the verb phrase: 我们都喜欢…. If you front what you’re quantifying, 都 follows that: 水和茶我们都喜欢喝 (“As for water and tea, we like both”).

Question 3

Does 都 mean “both” or “all”?

Accepted Answer

It literally means “all,” and it works whether there are 2 or many. For exactly two people, you can also say 我们俩都… (“both of us…”).

Question 4

What’s the difference between 都不 and 不都?

Accepted Answer

- 都不… = none of them … (e.g., 我们都不喜欢喝茶 = “None of us like to drink tea.”)  
- 不都… = not all of them … (e.g., 我们不都喜欢喝茶 = “Not all of us like to drink tea.”)

Question 5

Can 都 refer to the objects here (meaning “both water and tea”)?

Accepted Answer

In 我们都喜欢喝水和茶, 都 scopes over the subject “we.” To clearly say “We like both water and tea,” front the objects: 水和茶我们都喜欢（喝） or say 这两样我们都喜欢（喝）.

Question 6

Can I say 我们喜欢喝水和喝茶?

Accepted Answer

You can, but it sounds repetitive. Chinese usually omits the repeated verb in a simple list: 我们喜欢喝水和茶.

Question 7

Can I omit 喝 and say 我们都喜欢水和茶?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but it slightly shifts the focus from the action (drinking) to liking those things in general. 喜欢喝 highlights the activity of drinking.

Question 8

Do I need measure words with 水 and 茶?

Accepted Answer

Not when speaking generally. Use measure words when counting portions: 一杯水 (a cup of water), 两杯茶 (two cups of tea), 一点儿水 (a little water).

Question 9

How do I say “both of us like to drink …” more explicitly?

Accepted Answer

Use 我们俩都…. For example: 我们俩都喜欢喝水和茶.

Question 10

How is 喜欢 (xǐhuan) pronounced? Is the second syllable neutral?

Accepted Answer

Yes. It’s xǐhuan: the first syllable is third tone (xǐ), and huan is a neutral tone (light, unstressed). You’ll also see the traditional characters 喜歡.

Question 11

I confuse 喝 (hē) and 和 (hé). Tips?

Accepted Answer

- 喝 (hē) = “to drink,” first tone (high/level).  
- 和 (hé) = “and/with,” second tone (rising).  
A quick check: if it means “and,” it’s almost always hé; if it’s the action “drink,” it’s hē.

Question 12

What does 和 (hé) do here, and when should I use 跟 (gēn) or others?

Accepted Answer

Here 和 connects nouns: “water and tea.” 跟 can also mean “and/with,” especially in speech (e.g., 我跟他). To connect clauses or verb phrases, use 而且/并且/还 rather than 和.

Question 13

Can 和 (hé) connect verbs or whole clauses?

Accepted Answer

Generally no. Don’t say 我们喜欢喝水和喜欢喝茶 to mean “and also like…”; prefer 而且/并且/还: 我们喜欢喝水，而且也喜欢喝茶.

Question 14

Is 们 in 我们 (wǒmen) neutral tone, and can I add 们 to any noun for plural?

Accepted Answer

In 我们, men is neutral tone. 们 attaches to pronouns and many human nouns (e.g., 朋友们), but not to inanimate things like 水们/茶们 (those are wrong).

Question 15

Why not say 我们喜欢都喝水和茶?

Accepted Answer

Because 都 must come before the verb phrase it modifies. The correct order is 我们都喜欢喝水和茶 (subject + 都 + verb phrase).

Question 16

Can I drop 我们 if it’s clear from context?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Chinese often omits obvious subjects. If it’s understood you’re talking about your group, you can just say 都喜欢喝水和茶.

Question 17

Are there any tone-sandhi issues to watch for here?

Accepted Answer

Key points: 喜欢 has a neutral second syllable; 喝 (hē) is first tone; 和 (hé) is second; 水 (shuǐ) is third (often realized as a low/half-third in fluent speech). There’s no special third–third sandhi here that changes any syllable to second tone.

wǒmen dōu xǐhuan hē shuǐ hé chá.

Breakdown of wǒmen dōu xǐhuan hē shuǐ hé chá.

Questions & Answers about wǒmen dōu xǐhuan hē shuǐ hé chá.

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